| Audrey
Hepburn Biography
Who2 Biography:Audrey Hepburn, Actor
- Born: 4 May 1929
- Birthplace: Brussels, Belgium
-
Died: 20 January 1993
(colon cancer)
- Best Known As: The star of the movie Breakfast at
Tiffany's
Name at birth: Audrey Kathleen Hepburn-Ruston Actress
Audrey Hepburn was known for her gracefully petite figure (and famously
long neck) and for her air of playful elegance. Among her best-known
films were Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), My Fair Lady
(1964), and Roman Holiday (1953). She won the best actress Oscar
for the latter and was nominated for Oscars four other times: for Breakfast
at Tiffany's, The Nun's Story (1959), Sabrina (1954,
starring Humphrey
Bogart), and Wait Until Dark (1967, with Alan
Arkin). During the last dozen years of her life she worked as a
special goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Emergency
Fund (UNICEF). Hepburn is no relation to fellow actress Katharine
Hepburn.
In 2000 Hepburn was portrayed by Jennifer
Love Hewitt in the TV movie The Audrey Hepburn Story.
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:Audrey Hepburn
(born May 4, 1929, Brussels, Belg. — died Jan. 20, 1993,
Tolochenaz, Switz.) Belgian-born film actress. After spending World War
II in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, she studied ballet and acting in
London. She was discovered by Colette,
who insisted she play the lead in Gigi on Broadway
(1951). She made her U.S. film debut in Roman Holiday
(1953, Academy Award), then returned to Broadway in Ondine
(1954, Tony Award). She projected a radiant, elfin innocence combined
with elegance in films such as Sabrina (1954), War
and Peace (1956), Funny Face (1957), Breakfast
at Tiffany's (1961), My Fair Lady (1964), and Wait Until Dark (1967). She later devoted herself to charity
work and was a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.
For more information on Audrey Hepburn, visit Britannica.com.
Biography:Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) was an engaging screen actress
who won an Academy Award in 1954 for her work in "Roman Holiday". She
also worked with the United Nations to alleviate the misery of the poor. Peerless
in her screen presence, actress Audrey
Hepburn had huge brown eyes, a husky
voice, and a dancer's gracefulness - qualities that seduced the entire
moviegoing world. While Hepburn was never an actress with a wide range
and had very little acting training, she was never boring. According to People,
Humphrey Bogart once said of her style, "With Audrey it's kind of unpredictable.
She's like a good tennis player - she varies her shots." Certainly
every fan has chosen his or her favorite Hepburn moment; for some its
Hepburn's regal
entrance in the denouement
of My Fair Lady, with her towering hairdo
and sweetly serious expression, while others may prefer her playful
dance sequence in a book store in Funny Face. In any case,
Hepburn's most successful movies capitalized on her childlike
qualities, pairing her with an older actor whose character was
eventually disarmed by her inestimable
charm. Several years after she was chosen by Colette
to star in the Broadway version of the French author's Gigi,
Hepburn burst onto the Hollywood scene with 1953's Roman Holiday.
Costarring Gregory Peck, the film tells the tale of a runaway princess
who is shown around Rome by a reporter smitten with love for her. He
nonetheless convinces her to resume her royal duties. The role landed
Hepburn an Oscar at the tender young age of 24 for best actress. Full of
adoration,
Jay Cocks described the last scene of the film in Time,
remarking that Peck's close up expressions of loss "would have been nonsense
if Peck did not have something wonderful and irreplaceable
to miss. He had Audrey Hepburn." Her Humanitarian
Work In turn, Hepburn yielded to a calling other than acting,
preferring to spend her time with her two sons and working for UNICEF.
"If there was a cross between the salt of the earth and a regal queen,"
Shirley MacLaine told People, "then she was it." An articulate
and impassioned
spokeswoman, Hepburn was named the goodwill
ambassador for the international children's relief organization UNICEF
in 1988. Instead of using the title for travel privileges and charity
balls, Hepburn worked in the field, nursing sick children and reporting
on the suffering she witnessed. Her last plea proved most moving;
Hepburn had traveled to Somalia in the fall of 1992, and her sad but
hopeful account galvanized
the world's response to the dreadful
famine and warfare that would eventually kill thousands in that West
African country. For all her otherworldly good looks, Hepburn was a
down-to-earth, sensible
actress in a Hollywood of excess. Her Background Perhaps
Hepburn's humility
sprung from her childhood. Her father, an English-Irish banker,
deserted her family when she was only 8 years old. Another traumatic
mark was left by the Nazi occupation of Holland during World War II. Her
mother, a Dutch baroness, had sent the youngster
to the Germanic nation at the beginning of the war to live with
relatives. People noted that "along with her grandparents, she
received food from a relief agency - UNICEF's precursor. 'Your soul is nourished
by all your experiences,' she once said.'It gives you baggage
for the future - and ammunition, if you like."' The once chubby Hepburn
was whittled down by a diet that sometimes consisted only of flour made
from tulip
bulbs; nonetheless, as a fledgling
ballet dancer, she sometimes carried messages for the Resistance in her
toe
shoes. Many years later she politely refused to make a movie of The
Diary of Anne Frank as she felt the young Jewish girl's experience
of World War II too closely mirrored her own. While memories of fear, deprivation,
and cattlecars full of deportees populated her dreams for the rest of
her life, Hepburn utilized her experiences in ministering to the world's
starving
children, many of whom did not know that the beautiful woman was a
movie star. Hepburn and her mother moved to England to pursue her
dance career after the war. She was cast in bits parts on stage and
screen in both Holland and England before she had the good fortune to be
discovered by Colette in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Because Colette insisted
Hepburn play Gigi, the young woman was thrust into an entertainment
world that would compete fiercely for her. In 1952 she won a Theatre
World Award for Gigi, followed a year later by the Academy Award
she won for Roman Holiday. A hot commodity, director Billy Wilder
snapped her up in 1954 for his new film. Sabrina, about a chauffeur's
daughter whose education in Paris makes her the toast
of Long Island society, costarred William Holden and Humphrey Bogart as
her love interests. Eventually Hepburn shared the screen with all the
best leading men of her time: Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Rex Harrison,
Mel Ferrer (whom she wed in 1954 and divorced in 1968), and Sean
Connery. Of Hepburn's 27 films, quite a few have become classics and
only a few films are generally acknowledged to be bad. Although Hepburn
had knocked everyone out with her 1956 portrayal of Natasha in War
and Peace, another big movie did not fare so well. Green Mansions
was a fantasy in which Hepburn gamboled as a birdgirl. Directed by Ferrer,
the adaptation from W. H. Hudson's novel of the same name was thought laughable
by some. The same year, 1959, she made her first serious film, The
Nun's Story. Seeking meatier roles, Hepburn disinte-grating during a
motorcycle trip across France. Hepburn and Albert Finney were applauded
for their realistic portrayals. After l967's spooky
Wait Until Dark, in which she plays a blind woman who ultimately
bests a psychotic,
Hepburn took on an extended sabbatical.
Acting became secondary in her life, as she bore a child at age 40
during her 13-year marriage to Italian physician Andrea Dotti. Hepburn
made only four more movies between 1976 and 1989. The last, Always,
featured her in a cameo as an angel. Money was not a consideration;
besides her own income, Hepburn lived in Switzerland with Robert
Wolders, the wealthy widower of actress Merle Oberon, for the last 12
years of her life (she died in 1993). Though Hepburn was nominated for
three Oscars after Roman Holiday, she never won again. Shortly
before her death, she was given the Screen Actors Guild award for
lifetime achievement. Unable to accept in person she sent actress Julia
Roberts to accept the honor in her place. While Hepburn's acting was
highly appreciated in her lifetime, she would doubtless
prefer to be remembered as UNICEF's hardworking
fairy godmother. Further Reading Chicago Tribune, January 21,
1993 Detroit Free Press, January 21, 1993 Entertainment
Weekly, February 5, 1993 New York Times, January 25,
1993 People, February 1, 1993 Time, February
1, 1993 Times (London), January 22, 1993
Columbia Encyclopedia:Audrey Hepburn
Hepburn, Audrey, 1929-93, film actress, b.
Brussels as Audrey Kathleen Ruston. The daughter of an English banker
and a Dutch baroness, she and her mother lived in the Netherlands during
the Nazi occupation. Moving to London, she studied ballet and acting,
modeled, danced, and played bit parts before being cast in the title
role in the Broadway production of Gigi (1951). Thereafter,
except for one other stage role (Ondine, 1954, Tony Award), she
worked exclusively in films. Hepburn's luminous beauty, elfin slimness,
unplaceably patrician accent, and blend of wistful simplicity and
worldly chic are particularly evident in such roles as the young
princess in Roman Holiday (1953; Academy Award), her first star
turn; the chauffeur's daughter in Sabrina (1954); clerk turned
model in Funny Face (1957), and the fabulous Holly Golightly in Breakfast
at Tiffany's (1961). She was a major star of the 1950s and 60s,
playing opposite many of the era's leading men. Her other films include War
and Peace (1956), The Nun's Story (1959), Charade
(1963), My Fair Lady (1964), and Wait until Dark (1967).
She retired in the late 1960s and devoted much of her life to
humanitarian causes, becoming (1988) goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.
Occasionally she returned to the screen, gracing such unremarkable films
as Robin and Marian (1976) and Always (1989).Bibliography See memoir by her son S. H. Ferrer
(2003); biographies by A. Walker (1994), B. Paris (1996), and D. Spoto
(2006); J. Vermilye, The Complete Films of Audrey Hepburn (1995).
Actor:Audrey Hepburn
- Born: May 04, 1929 in Ixelles,
Belgium
- Died: Jan 20, 1993 in Tolochenaz, near Lausanne,
Switzerland
- Occupation: Actor
- Active:
'50s-'60s, '80s-'90s
- Major Genres: Comedy, Nature
- Career
Highlights: Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Wait Until Dark
- First
Major Screen Credit: Nous Irons a Monte Carlo (1951)
Biography
Magical screen presence, fashion arbiter, shrine to good taste, and
tireless crusader for children's rights, Audrey Hepburn has become one
of the most enduring screen icons of the twentieth century. Best-known
for her film roles in Breakfast
at Tiffany's, My
Fair Lady, Roman
Holiday and Charade,
Hepburn epitomized a waif-like glamour, combining charm, effervescence,
and grace. When she died of colon cancer in 1993, the actress was the
subject of endless tributes which mourned the passing of one who left an
indelible imprint on the world, both on and off screen.
Born into relative prosperity and influence on May 4, 1929, Hepburn was
the daughter of a Dutch baroness and a wealthy British banker. Although
she was born in Brussels, Belgium, her early years were spent traveling
between England, Belgium, and the Netherlands because of her father's
job. At the age of five, Hepburn was sent to England for boarding
school; a year later, her father abandoned the family, something that
would have a profound effect on the actress for the rest of her life.
More upheaval followed in 1939, when her mother moved her and two sons
from a previous marriage to the neutral Netherlands: the following year
the country was invaded by the Nazis and Hepburn and her family were
forced to endure the resulting hardships. During the German occupation,
Hepburn suffered from malnutrition (which would permanently affect her
weight), witnessed various acts of Nazi brutality, and at one point was
forced into hiding with her family. One thing that helped her through
the war years was her love of dance: trained in ballet since the age of
five, Hepburn continued to study, often giving classes out of her
mother's home.
It was her love of dance that ultimately led Hepburn to her film career.
After the war, her family relocated to Amsterdam, where the actress
continued to train as a ballerina and modeled for extra money. Hepburn's
work led to a 1948 screen test and a subsequent small role in the 1948
Dutch film Nederlands in Zeven Lessen (Dutch in Seven Lessons). The same
year, she and her mother moved to London, where Hepburn had been given a
dance school scholarship. Continuing to model on the side, she decided
that because of her height and lack of training, her future was not in
dance. She tried out for and won a part in the chorus line of the stage
show High Button Shoes and was soon working regularly on the
stage. An offer from the British Pictures Corporation led to a few small
roles, including one in 1951's The
Lavender Hill Mob. A major supporting role in the 1952 film The
Secret People led to Monte Carlo, Baby (1953), and it was during the
filming of that movie that fate struck for the young actress in the form
of a chance encounter with Colette.
The famed novelist and screenwriter decided that Hepburn would be
perfect for the title role in Gigi, and Hepburn was soon off to
New York to star in the Broadway show.
It was at this time that the actress won her first major screen role in William
Wyler's 1953 Roman
Holiday. After much rehearsal and patience from Wyler (from whom,
Hepburn remarked, she "learned everything"), Hepburn garnered acclaim
for her portrayal of an incognito European princess, winning an Academy
Award as Best Actress and spawning what became known as the Audrey
Hepburn "look." More success came the following year with Billy
Wilder's Sabrina.
Hepburn won a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance in the
title role, and continued to be a fashion inspiration, thanks to the
first of many collaborations with the designer Givenchy, who designed
the actress' gowns for the film.
Hepburn also began another collaboration that year, this time with
actor/writer/producer Mel
Ferrer. After starring with him in the Broadway production of Ondine
(and winning a Tony in the process), Hepburn married Ferrer, and their
sometimes tumultuous partnership would last for the better part of the
next fifteen years. She went on to star in a series of successful films
during the remainder of the decade, including War
and Peace (1956), 1957's Funny
Face, and The
Nun's Story (1959), for which she won another Oscar nomination.
Following lukewarm reception for Green
Mansions (1959) and The
Unforgiven (1960), Hepburn won another Oscar nomination and a
certain dose of icon status for her role as enigmatic party girl Holly
Golightly in Breakfast
at Tiffany's (1961). The role, and its accompanying air of
cosmopolitan chic, would be associated with Hepburn for the rest of her
life, and indeed beyond. However, the actress next took on an entirely
different role with William
Wyler's The
Children's Hour (1961), a melodrama in which she played a girls'
school manager suspected of having an "unnatural relationship" with her
best friend (Shirley
MacLaine).
In 1963, Hepburn returned to the realm of enthusiastic celluloid
heterosexuality with Charade.
The film was a huge success, thanks in part to a flawlessly photogenic
pairing with Cary
Grant (who had previously turned down the opportunity to work with
Hepburn because of their age difference). The actress then went on to
make My
Fair Lady in 1964, starring opposite Rex
Harrison as a cockney flower girl. The film provided another
success for Hepburn, winning a score of Oscars and a place in motion
picture history. After another Wyler collaboration, 1965's How
to Steal a Million, as well as Two
for the Road (1967) and the highly acclaimed Wait
Until Dark (1967)--for which she won her fifth Oscar nomination
playing a blind woman--Hepburn went into semi-retirement to raise her
two young sons. Her marriage to Ferrer had ended, and she had married
again, this time to Italian doctor Andrea Dotti. She came out of
retirement briefly in 1975 to star opposite Sean
Connery in Robin
and Marian, but her subsequent roles were intermittent and in films
of varying quality. Aside from appearances in 1979's Bloodline
and Peter
Bogdanovich's 1980 They
All Laughed, Hepburn stayed away from film, choosing instead to
concentrate on her work with starving children. After divorcing Dotti in
the early 1980s, she took up with Robert Wolders; the two spent much of
their time travelling the world as part of Hepburn's goodwill work. In
1987, the actress was officially appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador;
the same year she made her final television appearance in Love
Among Thieves, which netted poor reviews. Two years later, she had
her final film appearance as an angel in Steven
Spielberg's Always.
Hepburn devoted the last years of her life to her UNICEF work,
travelling to war-torn places like Somalia to visit starving children.
In 1992, already suffering from colon cancer, she was awarded the Screen
Actors' Guild Achievement Award. She died the next year, succumbing to
her illness on January 20 at her home in Switzerland. The same year, she
was posthumously awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All
Movie Guide
Audrey Hepburn
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